Kingsieg Syndicate: Nematodes
by Toasty Bread
Summary: A year after a terrible incident. The Goddesses are out of commission. Organized crime is rampant across Gamindustri as Linda and Warechu found themselves roped back to their old jobs as grunts in an upcoming Syndicate after a fateful meeting with a strange kid who ate their cakes. (Story centered on the "bad guys".) (Yes, OCs.) (Summary changes)


**A/N: List of things to note. There are some canon materials that'll be mixed up with some spin-off elements. I'll be bringing in things from the spin-offs to the fic just so people wouldn't get lost.**

Segami, IF's New Outfit and Flame Awakening Form - Sega Hard Girls

All of Noire's Generals - Hyperdevotion Noire

Dengekiko and Famitsu - Hyperdimension Action U

Tamsoft - MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Zombies

Chrome, Artemis, Filyn- Super Neptunia RPG

**I'll also incorporate some characters from Re;Birth 1 here.**

* * *

The Black Rain, an incident gone haywire when the PC Continent announced improvements to the Cloud Drive satellites. Instead of processing the information it created a pitch-black cloud that condensed in the same color. The rain was able to turn humanity and force monsters into a Viral state. Chaos ensued in between the four nations and the Goddesses are powerless to stop it as the rain itself seemed to nullify their transformations.

The Shas, immune to such virulence rallied the Guild Makers and imbued them with their Golden Energy rendering them invulnerable to the infection and fought back the Virulence. While the damages were great at least there were a lot of people still alive to keep the Goddesses' existence stabilized. Their shares have dropped to a fourth since then and have begun rebuilding.

A year after when all things began to recover. Histoire has suspected that her tome mysteriously stopped recording historical events when it should have been. The Black Rain was a traumatizing event and even she found it odd that it remains blank when she reviewed it. Furthermore, piracy began to pick right back up when the CPUs are still recovering their Hard Drive Divinity. Rumors about the underground syndicates on the rise spread like wildfire after a legitimate tabloid gave attention to them which resulted in several "gang wars" across the continent and beyond. The remnants infected from last year's Black Rain would often reveal themselves during the day and attack people with their newly bestowed gifts of superhuman strength, a supposed symptom of the Black Rain that lay dormant in their bodies and to make matters worse, monsters began wandering out of their dungeons and boldly invade cities with armies of their own. The Guild had so much paperwork to fill out that the chaos was an everyday thing everywhere.

The Shas, the Golden Leaders, had taken over the duties of the CPUs and thanks to them, they would repel their advances until they returned to their dungeons. Piracy and Virulence proved useless against the Anti-Viral Task Force formed in Leanbox, which were originally reinforcements from the PC Continent that helped increase security across the four nations. Each one having a Virulence scanner and when one is suspected of carrying the Black Rain virus, they are sent to a maximum quarantine prison just off the coast of the Land of Green Pastures called the Glass Cage.

That doesn't mean the bad guys are done. With the Goddesses unable to show themselves to the public, they refuse to relent.

* * *

_2:00 AM - Central City, Planeptune_

"Why did I sign up for this.." Sighed Linda, wearing her old grunt hoodie as she sat in the open trunk of what looks like a dark purple car tricked and pimped out for street racing. Spoilers, a metal hood, a sharp front and rear bumper with pink neon lights glowing brightly from underneath. Nothing else is shown other than the Ace decals on either side of the driver's seat doors and the roof of the car.

"Well I did mention that it's gonna be adrenaline-pumping and fun, didn't I?" A young lady said while installing a nitrous canister and programming it into a stolen N-Gear given the stained screen, that showed a glimpse of her fair-skinned face, lilac hair and her one yellow eye with the other obscured by an eyepatch bearing the symbol of a Spade.

"Yeah but you forgot to mention that the idea you guys had was STEALING A CPU PROCESSOR! EVEN WORSE, WE'RE DOING IT WHILE IT'S IN TRANSIT, CHU!" Warechu, flailed angrily before Linda shook her head. "Man I knew we were gonna be doing grunt work but even I think it's a dumb idea."

"Hey, you two wouldn't have come if we told you everything." Another girl, a lady with red hair, clad in a short black dress greeted the two grunts with a sultry smile and wink from her blood-red hues. Warechu couldn't help but feel a chill up his spine just looking at her. "Besides, you two are retired, right? If any CPUs come up, hold them off for us. After all, you did say you fought them before, gloating about how you can go toe-to-toe."

Both the rat and the Underling could only gulp at that prospect. Seriously. Hiding in a garage with a tied up mechanic already spelled their arrest warrant, picking a fight with the Goddesses and their lackeys could only spell more trouble from here on out.

"Yeah but… what's this got to do with that purple chick's processor? Ain't that thing getting worked on by somebody? Why do you need it?" Linda asked, still trying to dissuade their two new "party members" from even attempting a dangerous stunt.

"I guess you could say it's a "request" from my dad. He needs it apparently and we're gonna get it. Consider this the equivalent of an A-Ranked Quest from the Guild. Teehee~" The lilac-head said with a wink and tongue out which only served to make them doubt the plan that the other two came up with.

"I guess even Annie, the daughter of the mad scientist: Robert Nikolai is kept in the dark." Warechu shook his head as he made sure the knot on the mechanic's bondage was tightened to prevent him from escaping, he was a chubby fella and the little rat wasn't taking any chances.

"Geez, guys. No need to be so suspicious. My dad's in full support of what we're doing… sort of." Annie prepared the last bits of gadgets needed, even presenting Linda with a modified harpoon gun. "Use that when we're gonna drive backward."

"Drive… backward? Annie, what are you going on abo-" Before Linda even got the word out she was interrupted by a convoy of vehicles moving in front of them through a thin glass window, although it wasn't a clear view. Annie and the redhead already knew their target was on the move and opened the garage door.

"Alright, break time's over. It's time to move ladies~ ...and mouse." The redheaded lady said as she slid over the car hood and into the driver's seat, seatbelts fastened for the two of them while Warechu made sure to fasten his seatbelt with yet another one to himself, a grim expression sporting on his face. "Y-you better not drive like you drive chainsaws into your patients, chu!"

It didn't exactly help the mouse that the redhead laughed maniacally lightly stepping her foot on the pedal, a revving noise resounded from the engine. "I'm considered unorthodox by the Planeptune Medical Community they don't call me Caedes The Coocoo for nothing!" One slam through the pedal with her heel and the car bursts through the garage door before it even fully opened, following the convoy just a few hundred meters away, her psychotic laughter heard even from afar.

"IF, are you sure this will work?" The driver of the truck said through the microphone from his headset, from how casually he talks to one of the strongest Guild Agents. He must either be affiliated with them or part of Planeptune's military.

From the convoy to Caedes's car was IF's bike just trailing behind them at a hundred meters or less. She chuckled through one of her phones. "Yeah. We got 'em. Although we have to bait them into taking one of Nep's processors for this to work, at least the Processor we've got is the prototype so she wouldn't miss it that much."

"Wouldn't it be a lot better if we put a different thing in the truck instead?" The driver asked again only for IF to shake her head at no one and reply: "We tried actually… several times in the day, sometimes at night. They've probably got somebody on the inside telling them, we've yet to get any leads on that… or they have an X-ray somewhere we don't know about. Which is highly unlikely… still, we managed to put the prototype unit and draw them out so let's just bag 'em when they get close. Are the new kids at the back of the truck?"

The truck driver laughed. "Yep. They don't seem to be having fun."

As soon as the driver said that, Caedes's psychotic laughter could be heard, urging a confident grin off the guild agent. "It's showtime, everybody. Let's show these pirates they're not allowed to mess with the Planeptune's finest!"

A mash of voices came from the same radio all replying with: "YEAH!" Before the truck accelerated. The rest of the cars that were protecting it had Planeptune security detail, leaning out their windows and opening fire on Caedes's car. As expected, Kinetic bullets didn't even cause it to dent or slow down, instead of passing each car and burning out their engines with the use of EMP from the car's engines.

"Looks like these guys came prepared." IF voiced through the radio. "Guild agents inside assigned cars, if your vehicle is disabled. Move over to the blockade."

Car after car, Annie was able to dispatch them all without lethal force, deactivating each vehicle with a blast of E.M.P detonated from the Caedes's car by remote and forcing some Guild Agents to move out and take a different route. "Look at 'em run!" Warechu taunted, looking out the window from where he strapped himself. Caedes tapped Annie, gesturing her to drive the car while she climbed out of the driver's window, onto the hood and leaped onto the speeding truck.

"Here you go, Chuchu. Throw these babies at anyone following us." Annie handed the strapped down Warechu a small carton of marbles, at first failing at it futilely before he decided to release both seatbelts and take it. "You're putting a lot of faith in a mouse who probably couldn't hit anyone with these, chu." Just after Warechu flung those marbles, they all detonated creating a dense smoke fog, causing the other vehicles to total themselves as they hit posts, other cars, and the traffic lights. The rat's eyes widened before turning to the lilac-haired hacker girl. His shock was replied with a silent thumbs up from the lilac-haired hacker.

With most of the convoy scattered, Caedes started driving in reverse, slowing down lightly before her car spun in a circle, the trunk of the car now facing the truck's backdoors. Linda bursts out of the said trunk with a smirk, the harpoon gun in hand as she launched a large metal claw that pierced through the steel doors, pushing the button to reel it back only to be surprised with a tiger-paw boxing glove. **"PEA PUNCH!"**

An older-looking Peashy lunged of the open doors fist first into the trunk, sending Caedes's car flying and leaving one black eye to Linda's face, the trunk locking her in while the red-headed psycho tried to even it out before landing on the asphalt with Annie nearly dropping her N-Gear from the sudden jump. As the car balanced itself, Peashy hopped from the truck and landed in front of the stopped vehicle, fists at the ready as its engine finally gave out from the extraordinary punch. The truck stopped as well, right in front of the blockade of Planeptune soldiers and Guild members closing any escape. IF slows her motorcycle down beside Peashy, a confident smug on her face. "Passengers in the vehicle, put your hands up and get out of the car."

The doors move upwards in response, hands out with Caedes, wearing a devil mask, exited the driver's seat. Both Annie, wearing a visor mask, and Warechu exiting the passenger seats behind her. The trunk finally bursts open, a hyperventilated Linda greeted with various weapons pointed at the crew of four. Both ASIC veterans already crying inside.

"**WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?!"**

* * *

_31 hours ago..._

Linda and Warechu, one of the last known members of a scattered syndicate, met after years of isolation for years. Sitting across each other outside a certain cafe that's been booming ever since the Four Goddesses visited such place. The humble home of a latte artist and his sidekicks giving people a better day with a relaxing cup of coffee and dessert.

They ordered the cheapest dessert on the menu, of course, what with them having to survive by working for legal businesses. At the very least Warechu was on the more successful side while Linda was… still stuck looking for legitimate work, part-time jobs here and there but always ended up getting in trouble helping hoodlums stick it to the man or letting thieves getaway. As the two talked, they missed how fun it was working for a Syndicate that pays well, sure working for an organization hell-bent on destroying the world was a pretty big deal but…

...actually no, there is no positive outcome to this. Linda did enjoy her time working under Magic… you know, before she announced her plan to destroy Gamindustri with the Deity of Sin but that was years ago and it was kinda hard to fall into other groups.

Linda once joined up with Rei Ryghts's movement against the CPUs, her suggestion that humans can decide for themselves is something that lit up inside the punk girl's heart… then Rei went crazy and almost destroyed the world in the process.

She tried joining up with AffimaX, only for her offer to get denied. She wasn't reliable and Affimojas wasn't looking for any one-off grunts despite her resume stating she could hold the CPUs back. The problem with that, however, was that she never won any of those battles. Neptune took her place soon after- the bigger one.

Warechu was doing better during his time. Hee was selling old games from Chuuko's store in an attempt to make a quick buck only to get caught. How he survived Rei's onslaught in the Hyperdimension even he himself doesn't know, luck had to be involved that's what the rat always thought.

Of course, even if someone like Rei didn't torture him, the fact that Kurome turned him into a monster because he saved someone's life made him feel like Compa appreciated his heroism when Chuuko saw that heroic feat herself, a charming thing he did for her but alas… her love is one-sided.

He would have been punished for his crimes but Chuuko stepped in and offered him community service by working in her store as part of the "Bad Guy Reformation Program" or whatever that name was. He didn't like it but Compa did tell him to be a good little rat so he had to put up with it.

"At least you got a job, you runt." Linda smacked a cherry in his face but Warechu quickly ate it, gulping it down.

"It's a job I don't like working in, chu!" Warechu responded with a grumpy pout, the two now playing with their food as their conversation continued with some laughs here, some arguments there. What they didn't expect is an empty sleeve hanging by their table and they were just forced to stare at it trying to grab the leftovers on their plate…

...for a full minute.

It wasn't long until the sleeve itself finally caught Linda's half-eaten chiffon cake, frosting staining the magenta coat and Linda having to stab it with a fork. The empty sleeve struggled and the former ASIC grunt looks under to see a child with short, ruffled dark hair complimented with pinkish streaks. He may look like a child but Linda surmised he's probably around thirteen. "Umm… hi." The child responded with a cheeky smile, his magenta-colored irises staring straight at Linda's own red orbs, hanging by the empty sleeve still pinned in place with a fork.

"Hey." Linda greeted with an annoyed expression, Warechu's feet in between them as they converse. "Who are you? How did you get under here? How come I didn't see you? Why did you try to take the only food I'll eat in like a week?"

"Umm, lady. The better question is why your mouse plush isn't joining the interrogation." It hit Linda that Warechu is probably eating her cake. "HEY!"

"CHU?!" The mouse leaned over to take the bits with frosting, it is evident near his lips too.

"Stop tryna eat my snack, dammit! You got your own!"

As the two argued over the food, the child swung himself to the chair nearby and sat watching the two go at it and while they did so, he helped himself to each of their cakes. It wasn't until he burped that both ASIC veterans took notice, a look of shock, disbelief, and anger all stirring up within while the kid simply licked his fingers clean.

"You know." He picked the crumbs between his teeth with his fingernails. "You oughta keep watch of your belongings."

Filled with rage, the two of them tried to grab the kid although surprisingly hopping over the mouse and landing in a T-pose. The boy hadn't quite gotten the hang of landing that he nearly tripped over his side but quickly fixed it, looking back at the two with the most annoying smug a kid could make accompanied with a soft: "Heh."

The two didn't care about his inhuman reflexes, they just wanted to grab him and give his butt a good spanking. That proved to be a little more difficult than it should be. Running through traffic, sliding through car hoods, taking the subway and train systems it's a miracle that both of them weren't tuckered out from the pseudo-parkour they had to go through. Their wishes were answered when they drove the kid to a corner, looking up at the brick wall and back to Linda and Warechu with a cheeky smile.

"Uhh…" The boy tried to think up an excuse on the spot but any lie could piss them off here and now and well… he didn't want to show off his superhuman feats to a bunch of delinquents. So he breathed in and exhaled the truth.

"...I was hungry too, see? We're even right?"

If Linda and Warechu were good guys, they'd see that as truth and take pity on him but being lied to and involve themselves within the scum of society such truth isn't a truth to them.

"**YOU THINK WE'RE GONNA LET YOU OFF WITH THAT STUPID EXCUSE?!" **The rat and the green-haired delinquent tried to grab him, believing they have the boy within their grasp only for him to start running through the brick wall which worried both of them momentarily and then just stood there as he made his escape by quite literally charging through a brick wall with his child-like body.

"What are they feeding kids nowadays?" Warechu muttered watching the strange kid do something that clearly wasn't normal for children. But in a world where even someone like Broccoli can take down an Ancient Dragon if she leveled up enough, it really isn't hard to imagine that a random kid could just punch you in the gut for the hell of it and feel as if a truck had just hit you.

"**HEY!"** Linda called out to Warechu, snapping her fingers in front of him. "The brat's getting away!" With that sudden realization, the rat continued his pursuit with his green-haired comrade.

Several hours pass, the ASIC duo find themselves panting. They searched every alley, every single house near them which nearly got them in trouble with the local authority. Finding themselves at a park full of sakura trees, slumped over and tired. "Ugh… kid's fast." Linda replied, gasping for air.

"Might be faster than you, chu." Warechu wasn't any better, both of them sweating as if they'd gone through a marathon with a Fenrir chasing them.

"Do you need some water? You two look like you need it from whatever you've been through." Two water bottles from gloved hands. A gentlemanly voice called out from beside them, a rather handsome young man dressed up in a stylized suit and tie with the dark blue coat bearing similarities to a duster, the shirt underneath clad in black with the blue tie hung from the collar with a spade symbol etched at the end of it. Below his rather fancy attire was a pair of dirty black jeans, slightly oversized black boots trimmed together with blue neon that seems to glow in dark places.

Warechu and Linda found themselves staring at his indigo-hued eye before taking the water that he graciously offered, chilled to satisfaction as they both gulped it down then gasping for relief. "Gee. Thanks, man. I thought I was gonna die." As Linda thanked the gentleman she and Warechu casually threw the water bottles behind them but the gentleman wasn't having it of course. With an open palm at the empty water bottles, the objects were suspended in air much to the surprise of both veterans. With a strict glare coming from him, he quickly manipulated the objects into the trash can before crossing his arms. "I'd rather you not disobey the rules of the park right next to you." He quickly points at a sign that was screwed to a traffic light which stated:

**KEEP THE PARK CLEAN. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE**

"A-ah… so there is." Linda laughed nervously, the rat was more thankful he didn't start using his "magic" on them and send them flying out of the park. Seems the man had patience. "Why were you running away? Then again, I did come to rest here a while ago looking for a child. You wouldn't happen to see him?"

Linda and Warechu groaned at the mention of a child and just looked at the gentleman with a stressed-out expression. "Tell me about it, we've been chasing this kid all morning. He ate our cakes that we had to combine our credits to buy two and he just ran off."

The gentleman couldn't help but feel some sort of familiarity with the way they described the child, now sporting an inquisitive look. "I'm sorry to hear that but… the child you described sounds to be the one I'm looking for. What did he look like?"

"I don't know… black hair got some pink streaks goin'"

"He's got a coat that's too big for him, chu."

"Not to mention those weirdly colored pink eyes… the thing that's a magenta… I don't know."

The gentleman's eyes widened and eventually stood up to bow in their presence. "I deeply apologize for my brother's mischievous antics. Please allow me to reimburse you." Before the two veterans could get their word out… the Credit chits they had were suddenly filled (with interest) as they looked on at the gentleman bowing at them.

"Well, if you're gonna be like that, then you gotta give us more, chu!" Warechu selfishly stood proud at the bowing gentleman to which Linda couldn't help but feel like their revenge on the kid would be much sweeter if they turned him in.

"Can it, rat!" She grabs his tail, pulling him back to her side. "Well if we find him for you, you're gonna pay us, right?"

The gentleman looked up at Linda, blinking at her offer before nodding. "...that is a fair trade… I hope he wasn't giving you any trouble… though judging from the state I saw you in-"

"NO! We can handle it! Just leave it to us, good sir!" Linda would pump her chest, lightly kicking Warechu who begrudgingly agreed.

The gentleman smiled, standing up to meet Linda's gaze… he was a little taller but nonetheless accepted. "Thank you. I'll be right here. My name is Lorde, and you are?" The gentleman asks.

"I'm Warechu, the third-best mouse mascot in all of Gamindustri!"

"Linda. Just call me Linda."

"Warechu, Linda," Lorde repeats the names with a nod. "I'll be waiting for you here, try not to keep me long. My sister's also waiting for me."

"Will do, Lorde! Come on, rat. We got a big paycheck waiting for us!" Linda ran fast, the rat tailing behind her hurriedly to the last location they've seen him. Lorde sat back at the park bench, taking out a black N-Gear, the screen connecting to an "Annie Nikolai" seconds before her face popped up in clear view.

"Hey~! Did ya find Sieg yet?" Annie spoke cheerily but Lorde shook his head. "No. But I did find two people who volunteered to find him for me. Linda and Warechu, didn't the boss tell us to look out for them? He says he worked with those two when the ASIC was still out and about."

"Yeah! I think I remember the boss saying names that sound like that! I'll come to you and meet them myself and give them an offer they'll never refuse~"

"Interesting. I'll see you soon, sister."

Central City was bigger than the others, being the capital of the Nation of Purple Progress it was becoming quite clear that finding a single eccentric child with pink accents was going to be a lot harder than what Linda and Warechu initially thought. They both know he didn't leave the city as they went to the toll roads beforehand, the subway I.D entrances don't seem to have been tampered with and there was no child taking any land ships out of the nation, therefore, narrowing it down to the last area of the city with the promise of a big reward for Sieg, the supposed child, being turned in to his brother before it was getting late. The sun was still up but it started its descent to set in the west.

As all hope was lost, Linda spotted Sieg eating in a food contest for some local fare in the city, it took a while for the green-haired delinquent to register who was wolfing down hotdogs like a hungry, hungry hippo before realizing that it was the same kid they were supposed to catch. "There he is!" Yelled the former ASIC Underling as Sieg's attention finally turned to her and the mouse, eyes wide. The crowd also traced where he was looking, with the coat-wearing kid just spitting out the hotdog in his mouth and ran off in the opposite direction, arms up with the empty sleeves riding against the wind and so the chase continued, practically taking them to the familiar route and cornering Sieg yet again at another brick wall.

"We're not letting you get away this time!" Linda threatened, the rat slowly approaching the boy who sighed.

"Alright fine! Geez… you guys are crazy persistent." Sieg laughed, one that sparked something more than mischief. "...I kinda like that…"

"What's this kid talking about, now?" Warechu asked before the boy suddenly raised his fists, bouncing in place.

"Fight me! Right here, right now!" Declared the high-spirited boy in pink as he threw away the magenta coat in a very shounen-like fashion. Silence occupied the alleyway with a predicament coming from both of them.

"I know we're gonna like spank you but… I don't want to hit a kid." Linda scratched her head in confusion, Warechu was just as unsure about what to do. "Yeah for all you know, you could cry and tell on us if we beat you up, chu."

"Huh?! Are you kidding me?! I'm giving you guys a reason to hit me! Come on, hit me!" Whined Sieg as he put his fists down.

"Yeah, I'm not sure I want to hurt you… after all, we were ordered to bring you back." Linda sighed. While this was pretty laidback for the two of them, the part where both of them were suddenly ordered to turn Sieg in shocked him that he finally backed up against the wall.

"...oh no… my little brother told you to come get me. Didn't he?"

"Huh? I thought he was your big brother?" Linda asked, considering he was tiny and the gentleman was definitely taller.

"It's a height problem that I'm gonna correct soon! Gah, dammit. Gotta make a quick getaway an-" Sieg finds himself interrupted with Annie joining in the fray at the last minute, holding a cracked N-Gear. "Gotcha, you little rodent!"

"Ack!" The boy's ear was grabbed by the lilac-haired girl who gave him a good scolding. Once all was said and done, she bowed in front of both of them. "Thanks for finding him, you two. I'll be sure Lorde learns of your efforts~" she responds cutely… something familiar to Linda.

"Uhh yeah, sure and whatever… how'd you find us?" Linda asked, clearly no one's following them and no one put a tracking device either otherwise Warechu would've picked it up thanks to his oversized ears.

"Oh, you didn't pick up on Lorde's magic tricks? He used magic to trace you and I happened to be following what he says on this old N-Gear." Annie waved the cracked device in their face with Lorde's visage shown at the end with a small smile. A ping on their credit cards showing that they earned a thousand each for their efforts.

"Now then, how would you like to make some more money?" Both Annie and Lorde requested. "This one will require full employment, however, and don't worry. It's not the boring legal blue-collar jobs you'll see here and there." Annie added, giving both ASIC veterans spade pins to put anywhere. For Warechu it was the torso and for Linda, it was to the right of her mouse jacket.

"I'll take that as a yes~ Once those pins start blinking, meet me and my associate by Jet Set street. We'll make members out of you yet!"

* * *

_Present Day_

And here they were, surrounded by Guild Agents and Planeptune Soldiers with arms raised and the rat cowering in fear…

"Well, well. Long time no see, Underling." IF said with a big smug to which Linda had to growl at for a few seconds. The brunette now turning to the whimpering mouse with a disappointed frown. "To think you'd just go back to crime even after Chuuko graciously tried to bail you out."

"Hey, stocking old games was annoying, chu!"

"Man, if Compa heard about this…"

"Wha?! P-please don't tell Compa! I'll do anything!"

"You little snitch!" Linda roared. The rat and the punk girl going at it in the middle of the bust. At the very least it gave enough time for the masked Annie to slowly lower one of her hands down to her N-Gear packed and tucked away in her pocket. "Lights out~"

The transformers gave out from the sudden burst of electricity, shutting off the power in the district they're in, which surprised most of them and giving the four of them a chance to escape.

"Hey! Follow them! They're getting away!" IF's aura had a lit flame to it, allowing her, Adult Peashy and the other Guild Agents to give chase. Unknown to them, however, they were playing into Annie's Plan B. Turning corners and streets until they were in a completely new district where several grunts in black and blue coats waited to engage with Guild Agents. Each one preoccupied and thinning the pursuit by taking one for the team but not three people, they continued, persisted, they were gonna return with the criminals for interrogation, that was what brewed in Iffy's mind.

The chuuni and her crew of two tailed the four of them to a cliff overlooking the Planeptune dungeons below with Annie and Caedes staring defiantly at the three of them and with Linda and Warechu unsure of what to do.

"End of the line you four, we at the Guild have been taking down organizations like you since that incident and what you're doing only delays the inevitable." IF's wrist blades unsheathed themselves from her coat with Peashy raising her fists and the third agent holding a blade that seemed to channel lightning.

"End of the line? Hardly~" An aerial vehicle flew up from the cliff below, shining a spotlight at the three of them and lowering a ramp for all four of them to climb up to. Linda and Warechu didn't know what was happening but managed to keep their cool until they climbed the ramp to safety.

With the blinding spotlights aimed at them, all of Iffy's shots with her pistol were missing, only hitting the armor of the airship before it flew away.

"Damn it!" IF cursed before turning to the two guild agents behind her. "I'm sorry about the operation. I know this was your first mission so I'll take full responsibility."

Peashy seemed optimistic, she wasn't going to let something like that ruin her day. "That's fine! This stuff happens right, Iffy?"

The third one on the other hand, although laidback, groaned lightly. "Man… I thought we were bagging some bad guys on this one."

"Seems I've underestimated them… usually, those guys were easier to catch when they first appeared after that whole Black Rain incident. The Goddesses were out of commission since then and have been recovering. The media spread the news and now a lot of people are daring to challenge the Golden Leaders." IF looked up at the horizon where the airship was heading.

"And with Underling and that rat on board… we're looking at a revival here that I hope we're not getting."

"Yeah, who were those two anyway? They don't look dangerous." The third agent answered with a look of confidence

"Those two gave us a hard time back then, they were part of a powerful group known as the ASIC. They rose to power after the Goddesses were captured by them… and now… it seems like they're taking advantage of the situation."

"I mean if you took them down before then it should be easy to take them down now, right?" Peashy asked, still the optimist.

"...I don't know… only time will tell. At the very least, they didn't get the processor." Too soon did IF realize that the truck driver she hired earlier was sweating both from running and in fear.

"Miss IF! They took the Processor!"

"What?! When?!"

"...probably during the blackout." The third agent answered both of them, confirming IF's worries. "This is no ordinary syndicate. I've got to warn Histoire. You and Peashy are on clean-up duty." Gamindustri's gust of wind made a sprint for her bike leaving Peashy and the guild agent in a state of disbelief.

Perhaps things are really just beginning.

* * *

Meanwhile in a dark room only lit by the widescreen TV covering the front facing-wall of the interior. Annie, Caedes, Linda, and Warechu stood before a robot. Its blue T-Visor staring down at the girls (and mouse) with hidden expression. "Congratulations on the procurement of Purple Heart's Processor, even if it isn't her main equipment… a prototype should do just the project is successful, we should be able to continue our operations even if the Goddesses are finally back on their feet."

"Don't sweat it Kaizuku~ it took a lot of planning to get us this far. It was only because of the lesser gangs and mafias that the Guild became overconfident. It was only a matter of timing." Annie replied.

"Swiping the Processor during the blackout was a great backup plan too. Besides, if it wasn't for these two arguing each other in the middle of the stand-off, it probably would've been foiled." It was right for Caedes to give credit even if the credit was solely based on a real performance between the two who played it off as a "yeah, that's totally our plan" moment in front of the intimidating robot.

"So I've heard from our grunts. Whether or not that was staged, I thank you for your efforts."

The both of them stood straight and nodded. "T-thanks, sir!"

"I'm not a military sergeant. Call me Kaizuku if you wish, if you feel it is too personal then please refer to me by my Syndicate Name: CFW Valiant."

The title clicked in both their ears, with the veterans quickly pointing merely out of awe. "So you were part of the ASIC!" Linda's surprised tone rang around the room with Warechu bouncing for joy. "I haven't seen you though, who were you under?"

"CFW Brave. I was his right hand. I wasn't named Valiant, this was a name I gave myself." Kaizuku spoke. "My real name is Kaizuku Omo, take that as you will Linda, Warechu. You're part of the team now."

"We are?!"

"Of course! In fact, I've been trying to get a hold of you for months. You two are off the grid for that long and I'm impressed." Although Kaizuku's tone didn't show it, the Underling and the Mouse found themselves praised for once even if this guy proclaimed himself as one.

"Allow me to give you a warm greeting." More widescreen TVs appear beside them, all revealing silhouettes of people sitting at a council table.

"**Welcome to the Kingsieg."**

* * *

**Chapters won't be this long in the future... I hope.**

Huh? What about Surviving Gamindustri?


End file.
